Condiment holder



Patented Mar. 21, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a condiment holder, one of the objects being to provide a device of this character which has compartments for holding two difierent kinds of condiments, such as salt and pepper, there being a novel form of closure which can be manipulated to permit filling of either compartment after which both compartments can be closed.

A further object is to provide a condiment holder which is ornamental in appearance and can be made practicall entirely of wood.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4--4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, designates a base which is preferably oblong and has upwardly diverging arms 2 and 3 integral therewith and defining the letter V. The arms are preferably rectangular in crosssection although obviously they could be made of other shapes.

Formed longitudinally within the bottom of the base is a rectangular channel 4 open at its ends and extending from this channel and longitudinally within each of the arms 2 and 3 is a bore 5. The two bores provide compartments Within the respective arms 2 and 3 and the upper or outer ends of these compartments can be closed by attached perforated plates 6 which can be of wood or metal. The plates can be secured to the ends of the arms by means of an adhesive or in any other manner preferred.

Fitted snugly within the channel 4 is a valve in the form of a slide 1 also formed of wood and of a length preferably equal to the length of the base so that when the slide is in its normal position its ends will be flush with the ends of the base as shown by full lines in Fig. 3. An elongated recess 8 is formed in the bottom of the slide at the center thereof and extends throughout the width of the slide. In this base is seated a leaf-spring 9 which can be of metal or of a thin strip of resilient wood and said leaf-spring bears upon a transverse pin l0 seated at its ends in the base as shown in Fig. 4 and extending transversely of the recess 8. The recess is so proportioned as to allow a limited sliding movement of the member I in either direction relative to the base but this movement is at all times resisted by the pressure of the spring 9 upon the pin l0.

Openings II and (2 are extended through the slide beyond the respective ends of the recess 8 and these openings are so located that when the slide is in its normal position, as in Fig. l, the upper ends of the openings are closed by the top wall of the channel 4. At the same time the slide closes the lower ends of the bores in the two arms 2 and 3.

When it is desired to fill one of the arms with salt or pepper, the slide 1 is pushed in such a direction as to bring one of the openings II or 12 into register with the compartment in said arm. With the device in an inverted position the material is poured through the opening into the arm after which the slide is moved back to normal position. The other arm can be filled with a condiment in the same manner. Obviously when th parts are in their normal positions the condiments cannot be removed except through the apertured tops of the compartments, the device being used like an ordinary shaker except that the arm not used for delivering a condiment is kept in a substantially horizontal position or slightly above a horizontal position while the other arm from which the material is being sprinkled, is held in a downwardly inclined position with the apertured outer end lowermost.

It will be noted that the entire device gives the appearance of the letter V which is a popular symbol under present war conditions and is generally quite attractive. Furthermore it can be made entirely or practically entirely of wood, thus avoiding the use Of critical materials.

What is claimed is:

A condiment holder including a base, upwardly extended hollow arms integral with the base, there being a longitudinal channel Within the base open at the bottom and ends and opening upwardly into the arms, each of said arm having an outlet at that end remote from the base, a slide extending longitudinally of the channel and proportioned for insertion through the bottom of the channel, spaced openings in the slide, said slide being movable in one direction to position one of the openings in register with the interior of one of the arms and, in the opposite direction to bring the other openin in register with the other arm, said slide normally being positioned to close the lower ends of both of the arms, and cooperating means within the base and slide for retarding the movement of the slide and for holding the slide in position in the base against removal in any direction from the channel, said means including a transverse pin extending across the chanel and anchored in the base, there being a longitudinal recess in the bottom of the slide through which the pin is extended, said recess being closed at its ends, and a leaf spring seated in the slide and bearing upon and slidably engaging the pin.

EDWIN R. CHASE. 

